1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to vibration monitors.
2. Related Art
Personnel are required to operate in the field of gas operations apparatus such as road breakers, vibro tampers, rock drills, pole tampers and hand drills for example all of which impose vibrations on the hands of the operator. In other fields, operatives are required to use similar or other vibratory apparatus which impose vibrations on the hands or on other parts of the body or on the body as a whole. These vibrations can cause disease.
The invention is concerned with providing a low cost vibration monitor useful in monitoring the vibrations experienced by an operative.
According to the invention there is provided a vibration monitor to be worn by an operative comprising:
means for identifying plant or equipment in use by the operative to allow a predetermined vibration level value associated with that plant or equipment to be available to the monitor;
sensor means for detecting that vibration is occurring; and means for determining the elapsed time during which the vibrations are detected.
A code identifying the apparatus responsible for imposing the vibrations can, in one form of monitor, be manually entered into the monitor; alternatively the code can be transmitted by a transmitter attached to the plant and received by the monitor.
Alternatively, the actual value of the previously-measured vibration magnitude of the apparatus responsible for imposing the vibrations is transmitted by a transmitter attached to the plant and is received by the vibration monitor as the expected vibration level.
Preferably, the data logger has an external communication facility which allows communication with a visual display, printer, computer, or other data processing device.
Further according to the invention there is provided a method of monitoring vibration imposed by apparatus on an operative and comprising:
idenitifying plant or equipment in use by the operative to allow predetermined vibration level value associated with that plant or equipment to be available to the monitor;
sensing whenever vibrations are occurring and determining the elapsed time during which the vibrations are detected.
The data captured may be processed to give an accumulated measure of the vibration dose experienced by the operative.
Still further according to the invention there is provided a plant identity mechanism for use with a vibration monitor including means for producing an output indicative of the plant or equipment being utilised to allow vibration levels to be determined.